About the High Line

The High Line is a new public park, built on an elevated 1930s rail structure located on Manhattan's West Side. It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to 34th Street. The first section of the High Line opened to the public in June 2009. The High Line is property of the City of New York, and is maintained and operated by the non-profit Friends of the High Line, in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.

Meta

A group of graduate architecture students from the University of Michigan recently created this intriguing map of surface temperatures on the High Line.

Adam Smith, also one of the creators of Synedoche Design, tells us they chose to measure the space at 14th Street and 10th Avenue because of the variety of materials in that area. Using a laser thermometer, they measured the temperatures of everything from concrete planks and wood benches to gravel and vegetation. Adam explains, “the key goes from light to dark (dark being the hottest and light being the coolest). It’s interesting to be able to see the pathways form out of these dots, and the benches that keep you warm on a sunny day in October.”

We agree!

It’s interesting, too, how similar the thematic map looks compared to the physical map of the High Line at the same area:

Tickets are still available for this special self-guided gallery tour of West Chelsea and SoHo, benefiting Friends of the High Line. The daylong event features a self-guided tour of 28 art galleries including James Cohan Gallery, Mary Boone Gallery, PaceWildenstein, 303 Gallery, and Zach Feuer Gallery, where you will collect stamps designed by leading artists in a limited-edition passport. In the evening, join us for a cocktail party and silent auction, including works by Jenny Holzer, Rodney Graham, Yinka Shonibare, and Nayland Blake.

The High Line's new snazzy recycling bins steal the show near the Standard Hotel.

Who says recycling isn’t stylish? Not the High Line. If you’ve finished your bottle of water, can of beans, or New York Times, look for the newly installed and eye-catchingly labelled bins to deposit your plastics, cans, and paper goods. Three black bins can be found near the Gansevoort entrance, just beneath the Standard Hotel (see above), and three more in the Chelsea Market Passage.
Bins are marked blue for bottles and cans; green for newspapers, magazines, and other paper; and basic black for basic garbage. Use these bins and help keep the High Line a clean, green fighting machine!

On Sunday, Co-Founder Robert Hammond headed over to Jersey City for the Embankment Preservation Coalition‘s annual members and supporters meeting. He reports back on the High Line’s sister project, which is just getting, well, off the ground:

“I was blown away immediately upon spotting the half-mile structure that once carried freight for the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Embankment holds an untouched beauty, and really reminded me of the feelings I had years ago in the early days of the High Line. It’s a quick PATH ride from the High Line to Jersey City, and it’s another amazing opportunity for a great linear public space. The Coalition project really needs support right now, so I urge you to check out their Web site to find out more and see what you can do.

Photo from the Embankment's Web site, showing the view.

“The Embankment is six acres of space broken into six segments which were originally connected by metal bridges and are now separated by city streets. It runs west to east through a residential neighborhood, and ends overlooking the river, practically right across from the High Line. While the Embankment is much wider than the High Line, measuring 100 feet across, and considerably lower to the ground, the landscape is reminiscent of the High Line’s original wilderness. When I went the fall colors were spectacular– it was an easy sell.”

After the break, more photos, and info on the future plans for the Embankment.

Last week, Kaspar Wittlinger (one of the High Line’s gardeners, hailing all the way from Münster, Germany–like the cheese!) showed me an interesting phenomenon happening right now: the lighting fixtures on the High Line are confusing the aromatic aster.

You’ll notice in the picture above that the bright, purple blooms cover only part of the plant. That’s because aromatic aster (Aster oblongifolius) is a variety of wildflower that depends on short days and low light, and the lighting fixture installed on the rail has caused the plant to receive a seasonally abnormal amount of light. On the rail side of the plant, it’s still June!

Dreary weather in the city is an opportunity to experience the High Line in an altogether different way. If you’re bold enough to venture up despite the rain, you’ll be rewarded with stillness, solitude, and strange beauty as surfaces sparkle and plant colors pop.

Photo by Rick Darke. Click to enlarge.

Going up on a rainy night is still another adventure — we love this photo set taken Friday night by landscape photographer Rick Darke. The wet grasses are luminous, and the surrounding skyline and streets below show vibrant streaky colors.